William calam



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. GALAM.

OYSTER DREDGE.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. CALAM.

OYSTER DREDGE.

No. 394,333. Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

VII/77755555. 8 l7 V5770?! 2% W i/LZZM'M 1524, 82%.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM CALAM, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE COULTER & MCKENZIE MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

OYSTER-DREDG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,333, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed September 27, 1888. Serial No. 286,521. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it 11mg concern: arms and the stay-piece. At the rear end of Be it known that I, \VILLIAM OALAM, a citithe stay-piece I preferably form an eye, 9, zen of the United States, residing at Bridge which is engaged by a bifurcated longitudiport, in the county of Fair-field and State of nal brace. The upper branch of this brace 55 Connecticut, have invented certain new and (denoted by engages cross-piece 6, and the useful Improvements in ()yster-Dredges; and lower branch, (denoted by 10) is passed I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, through the blade and secured. in position by clear, and exact description of the invention, a nut, 11. The upper branches of arms 3 are such as will enable others skilled in the art connected to the blade by braces 12, which IO to which it appertains to make and use the are outwardly curved, the greatest width besame. tween the braces from side to side being at a My invention has for its objectto so impoint considerably nearer cross-piece 6 than prove the construction of dredges as to render the blade. (See Fig. By constructing it practically impossible in either casting or braces 12 in this manner I insure that one of I 5 hauling to turn the dredge bottom upward. the curves, which I denote specifically by 12, In order to accomplish this result in a simple in casting or hauling, will come in contact and economical manner, I have devised the with the bottom of the sea or the side of the novel construction of which the following devessel.

scripi'ion, in. comiection with the accompany- It will of course be apparent that the bot- 7o 20 ing drawings, is a specification, numbers betom of the dredge is much heavier than the ing used to denote the several parts. top, and that by placing curves 12 above the Figure l is a plan view; Fig. 2, a rear elemid-length of the braces I increase the levervation thereof, the bag being removed in both age of the bottom of the dredge, and thus views, as it forms no portion of my invention. make it practically impossible in casting or 2 5 Fig. 3 is a detail view showing in side elevahauling to make the dredge strike the bottom tion the neck of the dredge, and Fig. 4 is a lonof the sea or the side of the vessel in such a gitudinal section of the dredge complete. manner that the weight of the bottom of the 1 denotes the blade, which is ordinarily prodredge, assisted by the leverage produced by vided with teeth The frame-work of the one of the curves 12, will not instantly turn o dredge consists 'of bifurcated arms 3, which the dredge right side upward. This is a very are held securely in position by braces i. In important feature, for the reason that as practice these parts are made of steel, are dredges have heretofore been constructed, unpreferably made square, and are secured toless they were cast with the greatest care, gether by rivets 5 instead of by welding, s they were quite as likely to strike bottom up- "5 has heretofore been the custom. I thus seward as otherwise. Likewise, in haulingthey cure the maximum amount of strength, and were extremely likely to turn bottom upward at the same time am enabled to take the dredge upon striking the side of the vessel, thus he to pieces should repairs be necessary. This cessitating that the dredge, weighing several avoids lifting and handling the entire dredge, hundred pounds and containing from fifteen 9o 40 and also the danger of destroying the quality to twenty-five bushels of oysters, be lifted of the metal, as is unavoidable in repairing over by hand, or else that the dredge be sunk dredges made by welding the parts together. time after time, and the boat swung about 6 denotes a cross-piece extending between here and there ui'itilthedredge could be turned the upper branches of the bifurcated arms. i right side up.

45 At the neck of the dredge the ln'anches of I have not shown the bag in which the oysthe arms unite, and the arms themselves are ters are caught, as it seems wholly unnecesunited by bolts or rivets 7. sary. It is suflicient to say that the bag is A stay-piece (denoted by S) is neferably secured in the usual or anypreferrtxl manner placed between the arms and assists in to cross-piece G, to the braces 12, and to the I00 50 strengthening the neck of the dredge, the bottom cross-piece, '13, which extends from rivets or bolts passing through both of the side to side just back of the blade, its ends being held by brackets 1i. In the drawings I have shown braces 12 as made continuous with the upper branches of arms 3. In prac tice I ordinarily provide the ends of cross-piece G with eyes 15, through which the upper branches of the arms pass, said arms being then curved outward and downward to form braces 12, the lower ends of said braces being riveted or bolted to the blade, as are also the rear ends of the lower branches of arms 3.

I preferably provide a single heavy bolt, 16, at each side of the dredge, which passes through the rear end of the lowerbranch ot' the arm, then through the blade, then through the lower end of the brace .12, an eye being formed for that purpose, and then through bracket 14, the whole of these parts being locked in position by a nut, 17.

It is found in practice that the outward curve of braces 12 gives a greatly-increased opening at the mouth of the bag, which assists materially in dumpirg; that the shape gives strength and rigidity to the dredge as a whole; and, furthermore, when the dredge is used for star-fishing, that it enables the ordinary star-frame to be folded within the dredge in dumping, which is impossible as the side braces are ordinarily constructed, and is a source of great inconvenience. Another important feature of my improved construction is that I curve the neck of the dredge outward to correspond with the side of the vessel upon which it is to be used, these dredges being always used in pairs, the neck of the dredge to be used upon the starboard side of the vessel being curved toward the right, and the neck of the dredge to be used on the port side being curved toward the left. The object of this construction is to throw the line of draft outward in hauling, so that the greater portion of the weight of the dredge and of the catch lies within the line of draft.

It will of course be understood by those familiar with oyster-dredges that in hauling dredges as heretofore constructed the outer side is dragged down by its own weight and that of the catch, so that unless the boat is turned about the dredge breaks water at an angle and is very apt to turn over. I have found that by curving the neck of the dredge outward, thereby throwing the line of draft outward and greatly increasing the weight within the line of draft, I cause the two sides of the dredge to rise evenly, or so nearly so as to render it unnecessary to turn the vessel in the slightest in hauling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An oyster-dredge comprising arms having upper and lower branches, a neck, and a blade, the branches of said arms being connected by braces having outward curves, 12,

near the upper portion thereof, whereby the weight of the bottom of the dredge is given increased leverage when either of the curves strikes the bottom of the sea or the side of the vessel and renders it impossible to turn the dredge bottom upward.

2. An oyster-dredge comprising arms with upper and lower branches, a blade, and upper cross-piece having eyes at its ends, the rear ends of the upper branches passing through said eyes an d then curving outward and downward, forming braces having curves 12, the ends of both upper and lower branches being riveted. to the blade.

An oyster-dredge comprising a blade, a

cross-piece, 6, and arms having upper and lower branches, the rear ends of the upper branches being curved outward and downward, for the purpose set forth, and the ends of all of the branches riveted to the blade, a stay-piece between the forward ends of the arms, and bolts passing through the arms and stay-piece.

4. An oyster-dredge comprising a blade, a cross-pieee,'6, arms having upper and lower branches, braces 12, connecting the upper branches to the blade, a stay-piece riveted between. the forward ends of the arms, and a bifurcated longitudinal brace whose forward end is connected to the stay-piece, the rear ends of the branches being connected, respectively, to the cross-piece and to the blade.

5. A11 oyster-dredge having its neck curved outward to correspond with the side of the vessel upon which it is to be used so that in hauling the greater portion of the weight will fall within the line of draft, as and for the purpose set forth.

I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM CALAM.

IVitnesses:

EDWARD J. MORGAN, A. M. oosTER.

IOO 

